Less than a year on from July’s general election, it is perhaps too early to be casting judgement on the Government’s housing record, especially as achieving its 1.5 million new homes target will be a marathon not a sprint. One thing we can say for sure, however, is that ministers have been racing to make bold pledges around planning reform a reality.
In under twelve months, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been reshaped, housebuilding targets have been overhauled, and an already ambitious planning and infrastructure bill has been tweaked to further reduce consultation requirements.
The reforming baton has now been passed from national to regional government, with the Mayor launching a review of the spatial strategy detailed in the London Plan earlier this month.
The Plan was originally , so is definitely due an update as changing work patterns, ever greater demand for digital connectivity, and distinct space requirements among fast-growing sectors like clean tech, life sciences and AI reshape the capital.
If a week is a long time in politics, eight years is a lifetime. All levels of London government are now flying under the same banner, and ministers are looking to London to lead the charge on its housing mission against a stretching 88,000 new home target.
Against that backdrop, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has rightly been given free rein to think boldly about the future of the Plan. It has certainly commenced in that spirit, with the Mayor declaring at the consultation launch that he is open to the release of poor-quality parts of the green belt as part of the review.
This could mark a big step forward for efforts to tackle the capital’s housing crisis, in-line with NPPF updates. Exactly how impactful changes in this area will be remains to be seen, however, given what will inevitably be a restricted supply of so-called ‘grey belt’ sites.
More widely, then, the GLA should begin from first principles with this review, starting with the London Plan’s length. As things stand, the strategy runs to over 500 pages, packed with granular directives, some of which are rarely, if ever, used in practice.
The strategy sets the tone for decision-making at the local authority level; a document of that scale risks becoming a tick-box exercise rather than a helpful guide, losing focus and clarity at the very moment the city needs decisive, deliverable direction. With developers and housing associations up against spiralling costs, long waits for regulatory approvals and skills shortages, the revamped London Plan must be slim, strategic and flexible.
Alongside a new approach to the green belt, another major intervention from the GLA is a commitment to review affordable housing threshold requirements “to make sure that they still provide the right incentives to support… needs and delivery.” This reassessment is set to include “identifying whether some types of development are very challenging to deliver.”
Elsewhere, the consultation document states that the GLA sees “significant potential” for working alongside the Government’s New Towns Taskforce as part of the review. We recently brought together a collective of why London is the ideal test bed for the Government’s push on new settlements.
And whilst a partial review of Opportunity Areas and industrial land tabled a few years ago never manifested, Towards a London Plan has plenty to say about the GLA’s vision for both. The Mayor – who has overseen the relocation of City Hall to an Opportunity Area – is rightly stressing that delivery of new infrastructure, including extensions to the Bakerloo and DLR lines, will be essential to these areas fulfilling their full potential.
On industrial land, the document reiterates the need for protection and intensification through a cross-city strategy. The updated London Plan will need to strike a careful balance between meeting ambitious housing targets and supporting the commercial space required for a thriving economy – promoting high-quality, mixed-used developments, and supporting co-location where appropriate.
With regards to sustainability, the consultation document makes a welcome commitment to testing the idea of introducing whole-life carbon and circular economy benchmarks. The key to success in this area will be establishment of a consistent, strategic approach across London.
The review will need to cover a huge amount of ground over the months ahead, and must be taken forward in close consultation with industry.
This is City Hall’s chance to take the reforming baton from national government and hand it on at the local level. Its success in doing so will determine whether the capital is standing on the podium for housing delivery and wider development in the coming years.
This article originally appeared in .